The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-01-23
THE LoHILLARD srRIKERs.
Mystery Surrounding Its OriGIn.-Mans
Hands at Work Again.


Hands at Work Again.
the factory employees waited upon the firm
and made an effort to arrange for a confer
ence of firm representatives with a Joint
committee composed Of three employees
and two persons not in the firm service.
The firm adhered to the position it had
taken fro j the start. that while it is at all
times ready to hear complaints from its
employees and to give them respectful con-
sideration and without prejudice to
the person making them, it will
not treat with any outsiders.
The committee retired, saying they
would send word within an hour whether
conference committee of employees would
be sent to them. Within the hour they
telephoned that the sending of word would
be deferred till early this week. The firm
told the committe that the statement Of
grievances when comes must be in VIZ
ting, so that thore may be no misu der
standing about If. 1t is assumed that, as
stated exclusively in these columns last
Sunday morning, the main grievance is that
the factory has been running lately on
three-quarter time, and the employees have
SO been prevented from making full par.
The firm proposes to make reductions IN
its force that will enable it t. keep its
hands on full time The factory viii be
open tomorrow morning, and many en-
ployees have signifed their intention of re-
turning to thsir benches in the morning.
Up to the close of the factory last even
ing between $50 and 300 OF the striking to-
bacco workers had returned to their
benches in the great factory of the Lorll-
lards. These hands went back in spite of
threats and pressure. Every hour of the
4 Il,
for reinstatement were received. They all
n ade their trips secretly as possible, aad
begged to have the facts kept from their
fellow strikers. In some instances a man
or woman holder and more courageous
than the rest has called to ask not only
for his or her restoration, but on behalf of
Others Some took with them lists of
strikers taat had asked them to speak for
them, and arrange for their return. AS
many as could be put to work were taken
on. It is safe prediction that by Tuf S ay
or Wednesday the factory will be in full
blast sgain.
Information as to the cause of the strike
is as inaccessible as it has been from the
start. A Knight of Labor held up his
hand and gave the mystic signal in the
Departments and all dropped their work
without knowing why. Theirs was not to ask
L40 ISdSOD, lu61T6 WAS Out 10 no, aUQ Ii @
moment they saw the signal, they did it.
It is said an Assembly of the Knights
of Labor ordered them out without consul
tation with them, and that even George
Walk, the leader of the Knights in this
city, is as ignorant as the little boys and
girls in the great works as to the.grievances
thew were expected to hep redress by
striking land starving.
The esders of the strikes have attacked
| the firm at every possible point. They
have, as is known, persuaded the drivers of
! the firm to help them in the strike, but the
firm was shipping by express yesterday,
and had in two days sent out over 60, 600
pounds of manufactured stuff. Even the
night-school has been attacked, and agents
have been statisned outside to keep the at
tendants away. The result is that the
adult class has been robbed of its pattons;
but the average attendance has not fallen
off more than ten or fifteen per cent. The
Knights have said, too, that the night
school was established to keep the factory
people within the line of the school and
child-labor laws. As matter of fact no
child under the school age is employed in
the factory, except few orphans COM
PEELED to earn their living, who were ad-
mltted on the permit of State Labor In
spector Fell As for the point that the
children are not fit after days work to
study in school. the simple answer is that
all instruction there Is oral, and that part
of the curriculum is the teaching of the art
OF sewing, and many of the children wear
dresses of their own make.